Album This song officially appears on the McCartney III Official album.
Timeline This song was officially released in 2020
This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:
April - June 2020 ?
“Women And Wives” is a track from 2020 album “McCartney III“.
Written after reading a biography of legendary blues singer Huddie ‘Lead Belly’ Ledbetter. During the writing, Paul decided to sing in a more bluesy baritone, echoing Lead Belly’s style of delivery. Paul also plays Bill Black’s double bass on the track. Black is best known as Elvis Presley’s bass player. The lyric reminds the listener that ‘What we do with our lives seems to matter to others’. Paul has commented that he thinks the lyrics offer the listener good adive. Advice he tries to follow himself.
From Spotify Storyline. Storyline is a feature of Spotify that gives behind-the-scenes information from artists about their songs, presented with a carousel of cards featuring a combination of text and images.
I wrote this when I was in Los Angeles and I had just been reading a book on the Blues artist Lead Belly, so I was trying to get in this bluesy mood so I played on the piano, played some simple chords and started singing in what I imagined was like bluesy [sings], so that was that and then I recorded it at the studio in England.
Paul McCartney, from NME, December 23, 2020
“Women And Wives” contains a lot of wisdom. “Many choices to make / Many chains to unravel / Every path that we take / Makes it harder to travel” Is this you, handing down advice to a younger generation?
I think so. This arrived when I was reading a book on Lead Belly. I was deep in the South and the blues and I sat at the piano one day and started playing the chords at the beginning of the song. Lead Belly inspired that vocal style – “Well,
Paul McCartney, in UNCUT interview, January 2021
mama…” – that Southern blues thing. It suited that song. “Hear me, husband and lovers / What we do with our lives…” Then I was off on the trail. So suddenly, “Seems to matter to others”. Hey, let’s think about what we’re handing down to them. As a parent and grandparent, you think that kind of stuff.
Favorite song on this album? Possibly a little song called “Women and Wives”
Paul McCartney – from interview with Chris Rock, December 17, 2020
It’s funny, in the middle of that, there was like, there’s no solo. And normally, when you’re running through the chords, in the middle of a song, you’re leaving space for a solo. But the more it went on, I thought, I like it without a solo. So because I was just doing it to please myself, it doesn’t have a solo.
Paul McCartney about “Women And Wives” – interview with BBC Radio 4, December 18, 2020
I should just add, on Women and Wives Paul used upright bass – Bill Black’s (Elvis’ bass player) upright bass. It’s very famously owned by Paul, he’s had that a long time. It’s a Kay Maestro M-1. It’s still strung right-handed for Bill Black, Paul just turns it around and plays it the other way round! It’s a lovely sound, it’s 1952 or 53 I think I’ve managed to pin it down to, and Paul’s owned it for 20-25 years. He bought it, I think, from Scotty Moore’s family.
Keith Smith – from interview with MusicRadar, December 2020
An alternative version of “Women And Wives” was released as a bonus track on some versions of “McCartney III“.
In 2021, for the “McCartney III Imagined” project, American musician St. Vincent reimagined the song “Women And Wives“.
VERSE 1
Hear me women and wives
Hear me husband and lovers
What we do with our lives
Seems to matter to others
Some of them may follow
Roads that we run down
Chasing tomorrow
VERSE 2
Many choices to make
Many chains to unravel
Every path that we take
Makes it harder to travel
Laughter turned to sorrow
Doesn’t get me down
Chasing tomorrow
MIDDLE
When tomorrow comes around
You’ll be looking at the future
So, keep your feet upon the ground
And get ready to run
VERSE 3
Now hear me mothers and men
Hear me sisters and brothers
Teach your children and then
They can pass it to others
Some of them may borrow
Tales you handed down
Chasing tomorrow
[Repeat verse 1]
Get ready to run
Chasing tomorrow
Get ready to run
Official album • Released in 2020
2:52 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Double bass, Drums, Piano, Producer, Vocals Keith Smith : Assistant engineer Steve Orchard : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Session Recording: April - June 2020 ? • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Official album • Released in 2020
2:52 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Double bass, Drums, Piano, Producer, Vocals Keith Smith : Assistant engineer Steve Orchard : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Session Recording: April - June 2020 ? • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
McCartney III (Deluxe Digital Album)
Official album • Released in 2020
3:14 • Outtake • B • Studio outtake
Paul McCartney : Engineer, Piano, Producer, Vocals Steve Orchard : Engineer
Session Recording: April - June 2020 ? • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
McCartney III (Deluxe Edition Blue Cover CD)
Official album • Released in 2020
2:52 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Double bass, Drums, Piano, Producer, Vocals Keith Smith : Assistant engineer Steve Orchard : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Session Recording: April - June 2020 ? • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
McCartney III (Deluxe Edition Red Cover CD)
Official album • Released in 2020
2:52 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Double bass, Drums, Piano, Producer, Vocals Keith Smith : Assistant engineer Steve Orchard : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Session Recording: April - June 2020 ? • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
McCartney III (Deluxe Edition White Cover CD)
Official album • Released in 2020
2:52 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Double bass, Drums, Piano, Producer, Vocals Keith Smith : Assistant engineer Steve Orchard : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Session Recording: April - June 2020 ? • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
McCartney III (Deluxe Edition Yellow Cover CD)
Official album • Released in 2020
2:52 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Double bass, Drums, Piano, Producer, Vocals Keith Smith : Assistant engineer Steve Orchard : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Session Recording: April - June 2020 ? • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
McCartney III (Deluxe Edition Yellow Cover CD)
Official album • Released in 2020
3:14 • Outtake • B • Studio Outtake
Paul McCartney : Engineer, Piano, Producer, Vocals Steve Orchard : Engineer
Session Recording: April - June 2020 ? • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
McCartney III (Deluxe Digital Album)
Official album • Released in 2020
2:52 • Studio version • A
Paul McCartney : Double bass, Drums, Piano, Producer, Vocals Keith Smith : Assistant engineer Steve Orchard : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
Session Recording: April - June 2020 ? • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
McCartney III (Japanese edition - Limited release)
Official album • Released in 2020
3:14 • Outtake • B • Studio outtake
Paul McCartney : Engineer, Piano, Producer, Vocals Steve Orchard : Engineer
Session Recording: April - June 2020 ? • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
2020 • For Paul McCartney • Directed by Lucy Dyson
Women And Wives (St. Vincent Remix / Visualizer)
2021 • For Paul McCartney
“Women And Wives” has been played in 6 concerts and 27 soundchecks.
Fort Worth • Dickies Arena • USA
May 17, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour
May 08, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour
May 06, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour
Seattle • Seattle Climate Pledge Arena • USA
May 02, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour
Apr 28, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour
The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present
"Women And Wives" is one of the songs featured in the book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present," published in 2021. The book explores Paul McCartney's early Liverpool days, his time with the Beatles, Wings, and his solo career. It pairs the lyrics of 154 of his songs with his first-person commentary on the circumstances of their creation, the inspirations behind them, and his current thoughts on them.
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